Andy Griffith, who died July 3 at age 86, gave viewers a homespun refuge from the social and political struggles raging outside the fictional world of Mayberry. / Wally Fong, AP

by USA TODAY, USA TODAY

by USA TODAY, USA TODAY

Bob Anderson, 89, Olympic fencer and movie sword master who appeared in some of film's most famous dueling scenes - though few viewers knew it. His first film work was coaching Errol Flynn on The Master of Ballantrae in 1952. Anderson later donned Darth Vader's black helmet and fought lightsaber battles in two of the three original Star Wars films. Few knew until Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker, spilled the beans in 1983. "It was always supposed to be a secret," Hamill said, "but I finally told (director) George (Lucas) I didn't think it was fair." Anderson was one of the industry's most sought-after stunt performers, working in From Russia With Love, The Princess Bride, The Mask of Zorro, the Lord of the Rings trilogy and more. Cause not given, Jan. 1.

Gerry Anderson, 83, creator of kids' action shows Thunderbirds, Supercar and Fireball XL5, all featuring marionettes in the 1960s. "Thunderbirds are Go!" became something of a catchphrase. Later, he produced the live-action Space 1999. In his sleep, Dec. 26.

Bill Asher, 90, director and producer behind the TV classics I Love Lucy and Bewitched. He directed Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz for 100 of the show's 181 episodes. He also produced and directed The Patty Duke Show and Bewitched, which starred his then-wife, Elizabeth Montgomery. Montgomery and Asher had three children together. Complications from Alzheimer's disease, July 16.

Robert Temple Ayres, 98, set illustrator who created the map that went up in flames during the opening of Bonanza. Officially called "Map to Illustrate the Ponderosa in Nevada," it was conjured up just so it could burst into flames on television screens while the theme music played. Heart failure, Feb. 25.

Ernest Borgnine, 95, the beefy, gap-toothed McHale's Navy star who had an Oscar-winning résumé and 200 film credits but seemed more of an Everyman. During a 60-year career, he worked with Helen Hayes on Broadway, with Gary Cooper and Spencer Tracy in film, and, for a much younger generation, as a voice actor in SpongeBob SquarePants on TV. Natural causes, July 8.

Dick Clark, 82: With his toothpaste-ad smile and a microphone ready, Clark was a pop culture fixture for decades. From American Bandstand host to New Year's Eve stalwart, Clark was an irrepressible entrepreneur who built an empire for himself in the entertainment industry. Heart attack, April 18.

Don Cornelius, 75: Armed with sharp suits and a mesmerizing voice, in 1970 he launched the song-and-dance TV show Soul Train. With his smooth baritone, Cornelius introduced hundreds of stars to the nation's TV audience, including James Brown, Marvin Gaye, The O'Jays and Barry White. Suicide, Feb. 1.

Richard Dawson, 79, British-born actor familiar to millions of Americans through such TV sitcoms as Hogan's Heroes and the game show Family Feud. Esophageal cancer, June 2.

Phyllis Diller, 95, comedian who crashed the male stand-up comedy circuit to become an icon in the field. She didn't begin her comedy career until she was 37, but quickly made her mark and became a mainstay on television and in nightclubs with her wild wigs and cackling laugh. In her sleep, Aug. 20

Michael Clarke Duncan, 54, imposing 6-foot-5, 315-pound, bass-voiced actor who shot to fame for playing a death row inmate opposite guard Tom Hanks in the 1999 drama The Green Mile. The murder of rapper Notorious B.I.G., whom Duncan had been hired to protect, led him to pursue acting full time in his 30s. Complications from a heart attack, Sept. 3.

Charles Durning, 89, familiar character actor who played cops and politicians and lusted after a cross-dressing Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie. Survived D-Day with a Purple Heart and Silver Star. No cause given, Dec. 24.

Jake Eberts, 71, Canadian independent producer and founder of Britain's Goldcrest Films, which revived the British cinema industry in the 1980s with a string of Oscar-winning movies, including Gandhi and Chariots of Fire. Eberts financed or produced more than 50 films, which also included Driving Miss Daisy, Dances With Wolves and The Killing Fields. Uveal melanoma, Sept. 6.

Nora Ephron, 71, one of cinema's most successful female filmmakers, she reinvented the banter-rich romantic comedies of the '30s and '40s for the modern era with hits as 1993's Sleepless in Seattle and 1998's You've Got Mail. Ephron also leaves behind a legacy of novels, plays and collections of humorous essays that drew upon her own experience. Acute myeloid leukemia, June 26.

Chad Everett, 76, blue-eyed star of the 1970s TV series Medical Center who went on to appear in films and TV shows such as Mulholland Drive and Melrose Place. Everett played sensitive doctor Joe Gannon on Medical Center. The role earned him two Golden Globes and an Emmy nomination. He also guest-starred on The Love Boat, Without a Trace and Murder, She Wrote. Lung cancer, July 24.

James Farentino, 73, actor who appeared in dozens of movies and television shows. Farentino starred alongside Kirk Douglas in 1980's The Final Countdown. He also starred opposite Patty Duke in 1969's Me, Natalie. Farentino had recurring roles on Dynasty, Melrose Place, The Bold Ones: The Lawyers and ER, playing the estranged father of George Clooney's character. Heart failure, Jan. 24.

Jonathan Frid, 87, Canadian-born actor best known for playing Barnabas Collins in the 1960s original vampire soap opera Dark Shadows. The role made him a commercial success and kept him busy throughout his career with reunions, fan events and dramatic readings. Natural causes, April 14.

Ben Gazzara, 81, who starred in films, on TV and on Broadway in the original Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and A Hatful of Rain, which earned him his first of three Tony Award nominations. He earned TV stardom in Run for Your Life and was twice nominated for Emmysduring the show's three-year run. Cancer, Feb. 3.

Andy Griffith, 86: The country boy a country came to love in his role as small-town Southern sheriff Andy Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show. Griffith embodied one of America's favorite archetypes: the seeming country bumpkin who's actually smarter than anyone around. He got his big break in 1955 in No Time for Sergeants, a TV play that became a Broadway hit. His big-screen debut came in 1957 in Elia Kazan's A Face in the Crowd. He later starred in the TV courtroom drama Matlock. Heart attack, July 3.

Larry Hagman, 81: Actor forever remembered as the gleefully conniving J.R. Ewing from the 1980s TV series Dallas. When Dallas ended in 1991 after 13 years, J.R. lived on, associated forever in popular imagination with Hagman. And when TNT said it was reviving the series last year, Hagman agreed to reprise his role. His mother was stage legend Mary Martin, and his role as an astronaut in the Sixties' I Dream of Jeannie first made him a household name. Cancer, Nov. 23.

Sherman Hemsley, 74: In 1973, All in the Family patriarch Archie Bunker met his match in George Jefferson, every bit his equal when it came to being bigoted, rude and utterly entertaining. That was thanks to the deft comic touch of Broadway and TV veteran Hemsley. In 1975, Jefferson and his wife "Weezy" (Isabel Sanford) "moved on up to the East Side" in their spinoff, The Jeffersons. The show ran for 11 seasons and garnered Hemsley an Emmy nomination for lead actor in a comedy. Complications from lung cancer, July 24.

Celeste Holm, 95, bright-eyed blonde who soared to Broadway fame as Ado Annie in Oklahoma! and won a supporting actress Oscar for Gentlemen's Agreement. She also played Bette Davis' best friend in All About Eve. Natural causes, July 15.

David Kelly, 82, Irish character actor who played Grandpa Joe in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and motorcycled naked in Waking Ned Devine. Short illness, Feb. 12.

Jack Klugman, 90, the guy-next-door actor who played a meek juror in 12 Angry Men, an idealistic medical examiner in Quincy, M.E., and, most unforgettably, the sloppy Oscar to Tony Randall's Felix in The Odd Couple. No cause given, Dec. 24.

George Lindsey, 83, most widely known for playing Goober Pyle on the iconic television series The Andy Griffith Show, also had parts in numerous films, judged the Miss USA pageant for years and was a Hee Haw cast member for years. Brief illness, May 6.

Herbert Lom, 95, Czech-born actor best known as Inspector Clouseau's long-suffering boss in the comic Pink Panther movies. Lom appeared in more than 100 films, including Spartacus and El Cid. But he was most famous for playing Charles Dreyfus, the increasingly unhinged boss to Peter Sellers' befuddled detective Clouseau. The two actors starred together starting in A Shot in the Dark in 1964 until Sellers' death in 1980, and Lom continued in the series until Son of the Pink Panther in 1993. In his sleep, Sept. 27.

Chris Marker, 91, influential French filmmaker whose career spanned six decades. Marker's large body of work includes the 1962 classic La Jetée (The Jetty), an award-winning post-apocalyptic movie often ranked among the best time-travel films ever made. Marker was also known for the documentary style seen in his other famous work, 1983's experimental essay-film, Sunless. Cause not given, July 29.

Ralph McQuarrie, 82, artist who developed the look of the first Star Wars trilogy's signature characters, sets and spaceships. McQuarrie's original concepts included Darth Vader, C-3P0 and R2-D2. He also created the look of the Stormtroopers and the lightsaber. Parkinson's disease, March 3.

Jerry Nelson, 78, puppeteer best known for giving voice to Count von Count, the silly but instructional vampire mathematician on Sesame Street. After joining Sesame Street during its second season in 1970, Nelson brought to life such characters as Mr. Snuffleupagus and detective Sherlock Hemlock. Nelson retired from physical puppeteering in 2004 but continued to voice Muppets. Emphysema, Aug. 23.

Mark O'Donnell, 58, who won a Tony Award in 2003 as co-author of the book for the Broadway musical Hairspray and was nominated for another in 2008 for Cry-Baby. His other plays include That's It, Folks!, Fables for Friends and Tots in Tinseltown. Cause not given, Aug. 6.

Frank Pierson, 87, Oscar-winning screenwriter of Dog Day Afternoon and Cool Hand Luke. Perhaps Pierson's most famous line was for Cool Hand Luke: "What we've got here is failure to communicate." He also wrote and directed 1976's A Star Is Born. Pierson served as president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 2001 to 2005 and served as governor of its writers branch for 17 years. Natural causes, July 22.

Ann Rutherford, 94, demure brunet actress who played the sweetheart in the Andy Hardy series and Scarlett O'Hara's youngest sister in Gone With the Wind. It was said she won the part of Carreen in Gone With the Wind because Judy Garland was filming The Wizard of Oz. Among her other films: Whistling in the Dark and its two sequels, Orchestra Wives and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Rutherford concurred with other GWTW stars that no matter what else they had done, "our obituary will say we were in Gone With the Wind, and we'll be proud of it." Heart problems, June 11.

Pierre Schoendoerffer, 83, Oscar-winning French filmmaker who was held prisoner in Indochina and chronicled the pain of war on-screen and on the page. He won an Academy Award in 1968 for his documentary The Anderson Platoon, which was filmed in Vietnam. Cause not given, March 14.

Tony Scott, 68, British-born director and producer who lived his professional life in the fast lane, directing heart-pounding hits such as Top Gun,Days of Thunder and Unstoppable. Scott, known for his trademark red baseball cap, was one of the most sought-after directors in Hollywood because of his repeated success at the box office. Suicide, Aug. 19.

Bob Stewart, 91, television producer who created such popular game shows as To Tell the Truth, The $10,000 Pyramid and The Price Is Right. In 1956, Stewart met with Mark Goodson of Goodson-Todman Productions, the company that came up with the prototype for the TV game show. Goodson initially rejected Stewart's first idea, Three of a Kind, which he described as a show featuring three contestants claiming to be the same person and a panel trying to ferret out the truth. When Goodson asked if he had anything else, Stewart mentioned The Auctioneer, which was based on guessing the cost of consumer products. On the spot, Goodson green-lighted the second pitch, which became The Price Is Right. It made its debut on NBC in 1956. Three of a Kind became To Tell the Truth, which also premiered in 1956, on CBS. Around 1960, Stewart helped create a third hit for Goodson-Todman, Password. But in 1964, Stewart formed his own production company and had his greatest success with The $10,000 Pyramid. It first appeared in 1973. The Pyramid productions received nine Emmy Awards as best game show. Natural causes, May 4.

Ginny Tyler, 86, former Disney head Mouseketeer and voice actress. When episodes of television's The Mickey Mouse Club were repackaged for syndication in 1963, Tyler became the head Mouseketeer, who hosted new segments of the TV show that were woven around the old. Tyler was also the voice on the records Bambi and Babes in Toyland and the voice of Polynesia the Parrot in Dr. Dolittle. She sang the parts of barnyard animals in Mary Poppins. Natural causes, July 13.

William Windom, 88, who won an Emmy Award for his role as John Monroe in the 1969 TV comedy series My World and Welcome to It. He went on to score guest appearances on several popular shows, including Twilight Zone and Star Trek, and appeared on more than 50 segments of Murder, She Wrote. He also played the part of the prosecuting attorney in the movie To Kill a Mockingbird. Congestive heart failure, Aug. 16.

Isuzu Yamada, 95, one of Japan's most formidable and revered actresses who is perhaps best remembered as the treacherous wife of a warlord in Throne of Blood. Yamada appeared in more than 120 film and television roles, in addition to her extensive theater career. She rose to movie stardom in the mid-1930s playing a series of "fallen women" under the director Kenji Mizoguchi, whose films explored societal hypocrisies toward women. Multiple organ failure, July 9.

Richard Zanuck, 77, film producer who won the best-picture Oscar for Driving Miss Daisy and was involved in such blockbuster films as Jaws and The Sting after his father, Hollywood mogul Darryl Zanuck, fired him from 20th Century Fox. Heart attack, July 13.